An 80-year-old flying instructor and his 16-year-old student have died after a light aircraft crashed in rugged countryside near Loch Lomond.
Ian Haggis, known as “the Flying Haggis”, was piloting a 1981 Piper Tomahawk when it came down in a field north of Drymen, Stirlingshire, on Friday afternoon.
Police Scotland said emergency services attended the scene after receiving a report of the crash at about 4.45pm. The two victims were pronounced dead at the scene, and their next of kin have been informed.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has begun an investigation, while the wreckage remains in a field about three miles north of Drymen. Police have cordoned off the area and temporary airspace restrictions have been imposed, including a ban on drones.
The aircraft, registered as G-LFSU, took off from Cumbernauld Airport in Lanarkshire on Friday morning before flying west over the Trossachs, according to flight-tracking information. It later landed at Glasgow Airport before setting off again towards Loch Lomond and the Drymen area.
The 16-year-old has not been publicly identified. He is understood to have been taking part in a flying lesson during the half-term holidays.
Mr Haggis had worked as a commercial pilot and flying instructor. A former employer described a career that included instructing RAF Scholarship students, flying air taxis and working on air ambulance and traffic-monitoring flights before becoming a corporate pilot.
An aviation industry insider who knew him said: “I’ve known Ian for a long time, he’s a lovely man. Very generous, and passionate about flying, always wanting to help others learn. This is such a tragedy and I’m still in shock.”
The Piper Tomahawk was registered to Leading Edge Flight Training Ltd, which operates from Glasgow and Cumbernauld airports. The company bought the 45-year-old aircraft from a firm in Liverpool in April.
Leading Edge advertises introductory flights in light aircraft, during which passengers may be offered the chance to take the controls under an instructor’s supervision. Its published routes include flights around Glasgow, towards Greenock and north to Loch Lomond.
Police Scotland said the temporary restrictions were likely to remain in place while the AAIB carried out its investigation. The force added that flying a drone in restricted airspace was a criminal offence.
